Raised by Lions
by SaurusRock625
Summary: With his family killed by a rogue tiger when he was just a baby, Jaune Arc is taken in and raised by a pride of lions lead by Kion, the Son of Simba. Having been raised by lions for much of his life, how will the young one adapt to being around humans when he is found by a dusty old crow?
1. Chapter 1

_**I came up with this idea when I was watching The Lion King, and it's mostly just a side project until I have a good number of votes on the poll I posted. But what if, as a baby, Jaune was raised by lions before ever being found by other humans? And not just by ANY lions, but by a pride that is ruled by the one and only Kion. As prince of his kingdom, Jaune must now embark on a journey to defend the world from the threat of the evil known as the Grimm.**_

 _ ***Please note that I own neither RWBY or The Lion King.***_

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"Sisi Ni Sawa." = Normal Speech

 _'We are one.' = Thoughts_

 _"Hakuna Matata!" = Songs_

 **"Junior Detectives!" = Someone Yelling**

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 _ **A Child Found By Big Cats**_

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Far out in the territories beyond the Pridelands, there lies a cropping of rocks in a land surrounded by lush forests and wide open grasslands and plains filled with rivers and lakes where animals of all kinds live in joyful harmony whilst respecting the circle of life. Many of these animals include rhinos, hippos, deer, warthogs, leopards and other small mammals and the like.

But the greatest among them are the lions that inhabit this paradise known as the Moonlands. The Moonlands are called that because at night, they are illuminated by the light of the moon that grants great strength and power to the animals that live here. And the greatest among the lions that live here is their king. And that king's name is… Kion.

But right now, the king is out with some of his dearest friends patrolling his territory. And one of these friends is driving the other absolutely bonkers.

 **"ZUKA ZAMA!"** yelled a honey badger as he swung through the trees.

"Bunga, quit messing around! We got word that an invader has come to these lands with intent to take over the place!" scolded a female cheetah.

Though, with her particular spot pattern and lack of the cheetah species' signature tear marks, one might very well mistake her for a starving leopard. And the adult honey badger, now known as Bunga, just waved her off as he stopped his vine swinging after landing on something furry.

"Oh, stop being such a stick in the mud, Fuli. You know one of us has to make things more lively around here. And I'm immune to just about everything!" Bunga said while bragging some. "Just remember my old motto: Hakuna-"

Bunga stopped talking when he heard growling behind him and looked back, only to come face to face with an angry tiger.

"...Matata…" he finished nervously.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the Lion Guard." growled the tiger as Bunga ran towards Fuli.

Said cheetah was growling as she eyed the enemy, knowing that without Kion or Beshte, she and Bunga would be very hard pressed to fight against a Big Cat of this caliber. Especially since tigers are known to be a lot bigger than even full grown male lions. So a couple of smallfry like them stand a snowball's chance in hell against a tiger of this size when in a fight.

And this tiger looks very deadly and experienced as well. His fangs are still as sharp as any other tiger's, but he has burn marks on the side of his face and claw marks going over one of his eyes. The eye in question is a milky white color, signifying that he's been blinded from a past battle.

In face, his whole stature just shows that he's a veteran in both the art of combat AND survival! So killing a cheetah and a honey badger trying to fight him? That'd be about as easy as taking a nap for this tiger!

"What business do you have in this land, tiger?" she asked, trying and mostly failing, to keep her voice level.

The tiger let out a big, booming laugh at the question asked of him before pressing his paw against a small, blue bundle. A bundle that Bunga noticed right away.

"Hey, what's that you got there?" he asked.

"Oh, this? It's a human child that was still alive after I killed his parents and siblings. Quite brutally, in fact!" the tiger replied. "Your king, Kion, forbade the killing and consumption of humans in this land when he first claimed his place as king. But I plan to dethrone him and change that! And I, Shere Khan, shall start with this lowly. Human. Infant!"

"Oh, is that right?" asked a male voice.

Shere Khan looked up as a shadow loomed over him and gasped as he saw who it was that just spoke.

It's Kion!

Kion has grown quite a bit since his days as a cub. He still bares the mark of the Lion Guard on his shoulder, but his overall appearance has changed drastically! His mane is now fully grown in, having become perfect protection for his neck in a fight, and is still a beautiful sunset red. His red eyes shone with years of wisdom and experience, his golden fur shone in the sunlight like a second sun and at his size, he's a whopping four hundred and twenty pounds of muscle just waiting to pounce on any challenger who tried to usurp his power!

But for Shere Khan, Kion is the least of his worries at the moment.

 **"Twendekiboko!"**

Shere Khan didn't have time to dodge as he was bowled over by a giant hippo known as Beshte, right before getting pecked on the head by a certain Egret named Ono.

"Sorry we're late, Fuli. Bunga. We would've been here sooner, but we had a run-in with some passing cape buffalo." Ono said.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but we have a bigger problem. Shere Khan there wants to kill this human baby, and plans to challenge Kion to do it!" Fuli replied.

Hearing this made Kion step forward and growl menacingly at the tiger before him. If there's one thing he doesn't tolerate as king, it's needless and senseless killing. And Shere Khan is known for his ruthlessness and willingness to kill, even when it's not necessary.

"You should've known better than to try such a thing, Shere Khan! As king of the Moonlands, I hereby banish you to the Outlands for good!"

The mark on Kion's shoulder began to glow with power as he took a deep breath before releasing the greatest weapon in his arsenal.

The Roar of the Elders!

Along with Kion, the kings of the past generations from every land roar alongside him, creating a sonic wave of pure wind and lion power. Not even Shere Khan was a match for this attack, for even as he dug his claws into the ground, he was blasted out of the Moonlands and far off into the Outlands.

When it was over, Kion was much calmer and instantly ran over to where Fuli was comforting a scared human baby wrapped in a blue 'blanket', as the humans call them. As Kion moved closer to the baby, he gently used his muzzle to move the cloth out of the baby's face.

The little one looked no older than a month, at least. He's still at the age where he needs to drink his mother's milk to survive. A small tuft of messy, golden blonde hair was adorned his head, and his eyes are as blue as the purest ocean water. The baby boy soon stopped crying and looked up at Kion with wide eyes filled with curiosity and innocence.

He has yet to truly experience the horrors of the world, but Kion could instantly feel this kind of fatherly connection with the little fella. Even as the baby cooed and babbled as he reached up with his tiny arms to put a hand on Kion's nose.

Beshte chuckled as he got a better look at the human kid.

"Cute little fella, ain't he? Kinda hard to believe that some of these little guys grow up to become some of our greatest enemies." commented Beshte.

"Yeah, I mean, how can anything this adorable become that dangerous?" Bunga asked.

At the flat looks he got from Kion and Fuli, being predators themselves, Bunga sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Okay, yeah, I hear ya." he said, having understood the silent message.

"But Kion, what are we going to do with him?" Fuli asked. "Before you got here, Shere Khan told us that he killed this cub's family. He has nowhere else to go and no one to take care of him!"

"Fuli's right, Kion. Without his mother to nurse him, he won't last out there on his own! I mean, he's not a honey badger." Ono added.

Kion looked at the man cub before him. He understands that the young boy will need someone to care for him during his childhood, but he doesn't know anyone else who could possibly keep him safe, warm and loved. Especially with him being a human.

Ever since Kion and the rest of the guard had left the Pridelands, they've seen and heard about the many horrors surrounding humans and these other creatures called Faunus. He distinctly remembers fighting against both a human with a funny hat, and a human with white fur on his head and face. But they also know that there are some that are good to animals and nature, and fight tooth and claw to protect it.

The king of the Moonlands just sighed through his nose before coming to a decision.

"Let's take him back to Lunar Rock and bring this up with the rest of the pride. I need to take into account everyone's opinion before I make a choice." Kion said. "Bunga, I need you to carry him while we head back."

"You got it, Kion." Bunga saluted.

The honey badger picked up the small child, making sure he had a good grip, and they all made their way to Lunar Rock to speak with the pride. It was going to be a long day, obviously.

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 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

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 _ **If you have any ideas for who Jaune should be paired with in this story, let me know in the reviews. Also, don't forget to vote on the poll I have up, because I need lots of votes to come to a decision. See you all next time, and everyone have a merry Christmas!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow, I never thought I'd see so many reviews for this story! Still, I'm happy to have gotten so many positive responses from all of you readers out there. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, as I worked to the best of my abilities on it for you.**_

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or The Lion King!***_

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 _ **A Man Cub Joins A Pride!**_

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Lunar Rock… a large cropping of rocks similar to the one that makes up Pride Rock in the Pridelands, but with some significant differences. For one thing, several parts of the rock have been eroded over time by several waterfalls that once existed here a long time ago, causing most parts of Lunar Rock to resemble the phases of the moon. And the top most part of Lunar Rock is shaped like a crescent moon. From afar and even up close, it looks like one of nature's most beautiful landmarks.

And living within the moss filled cave of the incredibly stable rock formation is a small pride of lions that made up Kion's pride. About four lionesses, each a different color and size than the other.

The queen of this pride, and Kion's mate, is Zuri. She too left Simba's pride when Kion and the rest of the guard left the Pridelands for good, and grew attached to him. Over time, those feelings of admiration and respect grew into love, and the two soon married when Kion became king of the Moonlands.

Zuri is a beautiful orangey peach colored lioness with a small tuft of fur on her head that sticks up from the rest. As her name means beauty, her name is actually quite appropriate. The other lionesses of the pride are all older females that are there mostly to hunt and to be there to help pass their wisdom on to the next generation of cubs.

The first lioness is a gray and tan furred lioness with blue eyes named Nguvu, meaning strength. She is the oldest of the pride's lionesses and the strongest among them. It's usually her who makes all of the biggest kills for the pride when Kion is unavailable. Such is the case when she brought down a Cape Buffalo last week.

Next is a lioness with a cream colored fur coat and brown eyes, as well as a single stripe running down her forehead. Her name is Upendo, meaning love. And it fits with her very kind and loving demeanor. She's the oldest between herself and her twin, Kasi, or speed.

Kasi is very appropriately named, having a lean yet fit build that made her more fit to chase prey to the area where the other pride members would lie in wait for their food. Her coat is also cream colored, but her eyes are green while she has a row of dark brown spots going across her right eye.

But right now, they all are more concerned about where their king and the rest of the guard are at. They don't usually take this long to patrol the Moonlands, and when they do, they try t make it back home quickly and not waste time.

"What could possibly be taking them so long?" Zuri asked herself, worried for her mate.

She knows that Kion is the king of the Moonlands, but he's also still the leader of the Lion Guard. It's a difficult task, being both king and the general of a small army, but Kion manages to do this every time.

"Calm yourself, queen Zuri. I'm sure king Kion and the rest of the guard are on their way home as we speak." said Upendo.

"Yeah, but do they HAVE to be so SLOW about it?" asked an impatient Kasi.

"Well, it might be sooner than you girls think. Look over there." Nguvu spoke up.

The lionesses looked in the general direction their pridemate was pointing in and saw Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard walking up to Lunar Rock at a slow and careful pace. And they could see why. Held in Bunga's arms is a small bundle swaddled in one of those human blankets they've heard about in the past.

This confused all of them. Why would their king bring home a man cub like this? It's highly unusual for anyone in the pride. After all, humans are one of the reasons why Kion, Zuri and the rest of the Lion Guard were forced to leave the Pridelands in the first place. That, and Kovu and the rest of the Outsider Lionesses joining the Pridelands pride.

Not even thinking about anything else, Zuri rushed down from Lunar Rock and towards her husband to confront him on why he had a man cub with him.

"Kion, what happened? Why is this man cub with you?" Zuri asked as she came to a stop in front of her husband.

Kion sighed at this question. Somehow, he knew he was going to have the hardest time from Zuri about something like bringing home a man cub of all things. But he knew she wouldn't really be opposed to something like this.

"The answer to that, Zuri, is in mine and the rest of the guard's report from our patrol earlier." Kion said. "Let's get up to Lunar Rock so that we can explain everything to the whole pride. I'd rather not have to explain this more times than I have to."

Zuri didn't look particularly happy with that answer, but she didn't voice her displeasure. She simply nodded and looked down at the man cub in Bunga's arms. Even though he's a human, Zuri had to admit, this child was undeniably adorable. She turned around and began to walk back towards Lunar Rock with the others in tow, and they were, of course, greeted with the shocked looks of the other lionesses in the pride.

"Gather around, everyone! I have important news for everyone in regards to this man cub!" Kion announced.

Everyone gathered around, mostly to get a good look at the now sleeping infant, and Kion cleared his throat as he began his explanation.

"During our patrol of the Moonlands, Fuli and Bunga had an encounter with a tiger. Bt not just any tiger. It was the bloodthirsty rogue, Shere Khan." Kion began.

All of the lionesses got looks of dread upon hearing that name. And who can blame them? They know of that tiger and his reputation of killing off leaders of many lands and taking them over before he's used all of that land's natural resources and moving on to the next one. And each time, the death of that land's leader was more brutal and gory than the last.

And if he had come to the Moonlands, then that means…

"Judging from the looks on your faces, you've already figured out what he wanted. Well, me and the others soon met up with him, only to see that he had this man cub underneath his paw. When we asked why he had the child, his answer was less than appealing. As I'm sure you're all aware, Shere Khan takes pleasure in killing humans and Faunus for sport. And this child's family was no exception to that rule." Kion explained further.

All of the lionesses in the pride gasped in horror at this news. Shere Khan had murdered the family of an infant child?! Inconceivable!

"Kion, is this really true?!" Zuri asked, begging with her eyes for it to be some kind of sick joke.

"I'm afraid not, your grace." said Ono. "Before we got here, Kion had me check out the human encampment where Shere Khan had taken the child from. What I saw wasn't pretty."

Ono took a deep breath and sighed. The memory of the horribly maimed and dismembered bodies greatly disturbed him, and he's seen some pretty terrible things during his years serving in the Lion Guard.

"I saw the horribly maimed bodies of several females and one male. The male seemed to be the one who was primarily defending the females and the infant, as clutched in his hands were human weapons known as a sword and shield. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough to stop a tiger with as much battle experience as Shere Khan. The male had all of his limbs ripped from his body, three of the females were beheaded, the full grown woman had her guts spilled, and the remaining females were maimed beyond recognition." Ono said mournfully.

"We stopped there on the way here in order to give those humans a proper burial. Even though humans have hunted our kind before, I could somehow sense that they weren't bad humans while they were alive. If anything, they wanted to protect animals of all kinds in the world." Beshte said.

"Anyway, after burying his family and paying our respects, we brought him here to discuss with all of you what must be done with him." Kion finished.

Zuri stepped forward and nuzzled the sleeping child, making him smile and put a hand on her nose in his sleep. The lioness smiled as her dormant maternal instincts began to take over. She curled herself around the child, held him in her paws and began to groom the little tuft of fur on his head.

Everyone watching, Kion especially, smiled at the actions of the lioness. Kion and Zuri, at first, were worried that they'd end up being horrible parents towards any cubs they'd have in the future, but now they both see that that wasn't going to be the case.

"Well, I believe that answers your question, sire. I motion that we adopt him into the pride as yours and Zuri's son." Nguvu said.

And Kion liked this motion very much. Besides, he's always wanted a son.

"Very well then. All in favor of adopting the child into the pride, say 'aye'." Kion instructed.

"Aye!" everyone said.

"All opposed?" Kion asked.

No one said a word. It appears as though it's a unanimous vote. The man cub will be accepted into the pride, and will be raised as if he were Kion and Zuri's own cub by birth.

Kion walked over to the child and nuzzled him. He already knew exactly what he wanted to name the little guy.

"Welcome to the pride, my little *Heshima."

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 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

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 _ ***Heshima: It means honor.***_

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 _ **Everyone, I need your expertise! I need African animals to act as Kion's Majordomo and the Shaman of his land, but I don't know what to go with! I do have two in mind; one for each.**_

 _ **Possible Majordomo: African Fish Eagle**_

 _ **Possible Shaman: Orangutan**_

 _ **Those are just possible choices I have, as I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions on this. Please send me any ideas you may have, for they will be of great help for future chapters of the story.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**... I'm sad. No one offered any other suggestions for Kion's shaman and Majordomo. All except for one. So, I guess I'll just have to try and make the best of it for this chapter. I hope you guys like it, because I worked diligently to make this chapter worth reading.**_

 _ ***I still don't own RWBY or The Lion King!***_

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 _ **Body of Man, Heart of Lion!**_

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"So, this is the little man cub that you and your queen have adopted, King Kion?"

The one who asked this question was an Orangutan who seemed to be the Shaman of the Moonlands. Like most Orangutans, his body is covered in orange fur that is more like hair, and his exposed skin is a kind of dark brown color. However, he also has a white beard and carries around a staff, showing that his age is much higher than most other apes around the Moonlands.

This Orangutan is known as Kicheko, meaning laughter. And he is aptly named, as he loves to laugh and tell jokes at every opportunity. But he knows how to be serious when he needs to be.

Like now, for example. Seeing the infant man cub sleeping in Zuri's paws and snuggled into her fur. The elder Lioness had the look of a proud mother on her face, as it's a well known fact that Zuri has wanted Cubs of her own. However, she and Kion had agreed to hold off on that until their situation as king and queen of the Moonlands was more stable. That incident with Shere Khan was a prime example.

"That's right, Kicheko. We had hoped that you perhaps knew of a way to give him lion traits so that he won't feel so out of place amongst the other members of the pride." Kion said.

"Do you know anything we can do to make that happen?" Fuli asked.

Kicheko hummed in thought and stroked his beard as he thought about this. Recently, the great Kings of the past have been teaching him about a human power called Aura, and how it can cause many strange and powerful abilities to be granted to an Aura Wielder. Abilities like enhanced strength, super speed, heightened senses and a Healing factor.

But perhaps it can be used here for just this situation.

"Yes! I know just what to do here!" Kicheko exclaimed. "Fuli, you are the fastest, so I will need you to go to the watering hole and fill this bowl with some clean water."

"Got it!" Fuli saluted.

She took the bowl that Kicheko pulled out and sped off to the watering hole as fast as possible. Though, she knows she'll have to take it slow on the way back.

"Ono, can you fly up and see if there are any trees with ripe star fruits? They are essential for this method." Kicheko instructed.

"I'm on it. Searching now."

The Egret flew up into the air and began to search for any ripe star fruits to use in this potion. At times, being the Keenest of Sight has its benefits. And this is one of them. He easily found the fruits and swooped down to pick up a couple of them.

"Now, from you and Zuri, King Kion, I will require a few drops of your blood." Kicheko said.

"Our blood? Why would you need blood from us?" Zuri asked.

"Because for this ritual to work, it will need a few drops of blood from a lion and a lioness for the DNA. Specifically, the blood of those who shall be the little one's mother and father, as this will also give him physical traits of both of you, making him your cub by blood." Kicheko explained.

Kion and Zuri were curious as to where their kingdom's resident shaman discovered such a ritual, but they weren't opposed to at least trying. If this works, then little Heshima would not only become a lion, but he'd be their child by blood too! Which means the Moonlands will have its first prince!

It wasn't long before Ono and Fuli returned with the water and star fruits. Once he had them all, Kicheko immediately got to work on preparing the potion. First, he took Kion and Zuri's paws and held one each over the bowl. Then, using a sharp rock, he pricked them and let a few drops of blood from both lions fall into the water. After that, he took a blunt stone and began to mix the water with the blood, making sure it was well mixed.

Now, for the star fruit. The Orangutan took one and broke it in half before squeezing both halves and letting the juice and pulp fall into the mixture of bloody water. Once that was sufficiently mixed, Kicheko began to pump his own Aura into the mixture and poured it into a small bottle.

With that done, he took Heshima from his newly adopted mother and began to have him drink the mixture. And as this happened, Heshima was engulfed in a bright white light that began to change him. No longer was he a man cub. Now, he was a little lion cub with his mother's fur color and his dad's eyes. But his build seemed leaner and lankier than Kion's own.

Perhaps he's built more for speed?

Either way, Heshima is now a lion. And his adventures are only just beginning.

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 _ ***To Be Continued…***_

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 _ **That's all for this chapter. See you guys in the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: ARC REWRITTEN.**_


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